Pol Espargaró is one of the riders Marc Márquez knows really well. As a rival in the minor categories, a teammate in Repsol Honda, and now a privileged observer as a KTM test rider, in an unfiltered interview with AS,the Spanish rider talked about the two sides of the nine-time world champion: "As a rival, he kills you." Instead, as a teammate, "he's extremely competitive and takes everything to the extreme."
Even back in his 125 and Moto2 days, Espargaró recalls an out-of-the-ordinary Márquez: tiny, very light, with a talent that made all the difference, especially on bikes where weight mattered more than anything. "You knew that, sooner or later, he'd pass you on the straight. He already had boundless talent, and he made the most of it." But it was in the Honda garage that Pol really discovered his competitive nature. "Your first rival is always your teammate. With Marc, everything is brought to detail, to the thousandth." There were many tense moments, but they were also aware that they had to collaborate in a complicated context, marked by a difficult bike and a project that was problematic.
The Honda of those years, Espargaró explained, forced riders to push to the limit. "You didn't have the tools, and you had to demand the maximum all the time. This led to constant falls and injuries." That's also why, according to Pol, Márquez's injury was aggravated by a bike that left no margin for management. Honda was bound to a rigid working method and wasn't able to adapt with the speed of European manufacturers to a MotoGP that underwent changes due to aerodynamics, tires, and safety.
"I thought I was in Honda at the worst stage of the brand but, actually, with the arrival of Mir and Marini, it got even worse. It has lost its compass and hasn't been able to adapt to the changes in the category as the European manufacturers have done."
When asked whether it's worse to have Márquez as a rival or as a teammate, Espargaró has no doubt. "When you suffer and he doesn't, and he wins like he does, it kills you." This is the key point of his reasoning, the same one he uses to explain Pecco Bagnaia's current difficulties. Márquez, he says, is capable of reaching the limit before others and living with problems, turning them into an advantage.
"Pecco is in a situation where he's not comfortable, he's not comfortable with the bike, and, in these circumstances, when the bike starts to have defects, that's where Marc brings out his true potential, his greatest potential. He's able to adapt to problems in a way that others cannot."
As for the move to Ducati, Pol is clear. Marc had nothing to prove. "He didn't need to win a World Championship with Ducati to prove he was the best." Numbers, according to him, don't always tell the greatness of a rider, and he cites Dani Pedrosa as an example of excellence without a MotoGP title. "Name one rider who wouldn't want to have a career like Dani's. A world championship with a Honda for Marc is worth more than many other titles."
And the future? For Espargaró, Márquez will continue to race against his all-time opponent... himself. "When you already have everything, you go for more. Not for numbers, but for passion, for ambition." That, Pol concluded, is what makes Marc Márquez who he is.